The Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 was mainly neutral - it hit 294 on March 31 ? up 2.5% YTD but down 18.2% year on year. The Liv-ex Fine Wine 50, which tracks the value of the 10 most recent vintages of the first growths, also saw limited movement. The benchmark ended the month at 345, up 3.1% year to date.

Bordeaux 2009 accounted for more than a third of trade by value, with Haut Brion, Latour and Ducru Beaucaillou taking 9% of 2009 trade each. There was sustained demand for 2008, with Mouton finding support at £4,350-£4,400.

With the release of the Parker scores Smith Haut Lafitte became the cheapest 100-point Bordeaux wine, and prices rose rapidly. Other 100-pointers, such as Leoville Poyferre and Pontet Canet, followed a similar trajectory while Pichon Baron and Duhart Milon were both upgraded.